Note: The following piece was prepared by Dean Keener, who provides commentary on Southern Conference men’s basketball broadcasts.
 
Keener played collegiately at Davidson before embarking on a successful 20-year coaching career. He served as head coach at James Madison from 2004-08. You can follow him on Twitter: @DeanKeener1 
   

I. Inside the SoCon
Southern Conference basketball continues to be ultra-competitive. No doubt, the Chattanooga Mocs are the class of the league and have proven to be the team to beat, but all 10 teams are capable of winning on any given night.
 
The key right now is for every team to keep and/or gather some momentum as they head toward the Ingles SoCon Basketball Championships. Basketball can be a rhythm game, especially during the later stages of the regular season, therefore no coaching staff or player wants to do anything to interrupt the weekly flow of practice, individual workouts and remaining regular season games. Everyone want to be playing their best in March.
 
Who will have the momentum – mentally and physically – to win three (or four) games in Asheville? That is the question right now. I truly believe that six or seven teams can win the tournament. While most would consider Chattanooga and Furman as the favorites (and I agree), all 10 teams can win one or more games and that’s what makes things very interesting in the Southern Conference. I firmly believe this will be one of the most balanced and potentially interesting SoCon tournaments in recent memory.
 
Before we move forward, let me apologize to the 2020-21 Southern Conference Player of the Year, Isaiah Miller. During a recent broadcast, I failed to recognize him as the reigning Player of the Year. How could I forget such a talented player and what he did to help UNCG during a terrific career.
 
II. Did You Know

• Alex Hunter became Furman’s all-time leading 3-point shooter on Feb. 5. He surpassed Jordan Lyons, who compiled 288 from 2017-20
• Chattanooga’s Malachi Smith and VMI’s Jake Stephens have both been named the SoCon Player of the Week presented by GEICO four times this season. That’s the most in a season for a SoCon player since Davidson's Stephen Curry in 2008-09 (8 times)
• Furman’s Jalen Slawson ranks 19th nationally in steals and is only one of 17 players to have a triple-double. Western Carolina’s Nicholas Robinson is also one of them
• Chattanooga is 13th in the country in 3-point field-goal defense at 29 percent
• Since the start of the 2016-17 season, UNCG is the winningest program in the SoCon with 140 victories

III. Top storylines this season in the Southern Conference

1. 3-Point Shooting – The Southern Conference continues to be home to the top 3-point shooting teams in Division I. There are seven SoCon teams in the top 25 for 3-point field goal attempts
2. Chattanooga looks to win the regular season race – The Mocs are currently the class of the conference. Currently 22-5, they have been good since the start of the season when they opened 9-1
3. Success at VMI – VMI has surpassed expectations. Picked seventh in both the coaches and media preseason polls, the Keydets shoot it as well as anyone in the league and have a Player of the Year candidate in Jake Stephens
4. Samford beating Chattanooga – The Bulldogs beat Chattanooga on Feb. 2, although I don’t think this is any longer a surprise. Bucky McMillan’s team is for real and will be a tough out in Asheville
5. Injuries – Unfortunately, injuries are part of sports. But this season, injuries to potential all-conference players Neftali Alverez (Mercer), Messiah Jones (Wofford) and most recently Silvio De Sousa (Chattanooga) have impacted their teams, including key nonconference games

IV. National Letter of Intent
I wrote about this topic almost a decade ago and I believe it’s still relevant.
 
Started in 1964, the National Letter of Intent (NLI) is the document used to specify a student-athlete's commitment to a participating NCAA college or university. Prospects can sign during their senior year in high school. For men’s basketball, there are two periods in which they can sign the document. The “early period” lasts one week in the fall (this past year it was Nov. 10-17, 2021). The “regular period” (April 13- May 18, 2022) is longer, but most prospects sign during the first few weeks it’s available.
 
I’m of the opinion the NLI is outdated. I believe we should allow student-athletes to sign a NLI at any time, after they complete their sophomore year in high school. No more “committing,” just sign the NLI. Here is my rationale.
 
During the past decade, more than 70 percent of all Division I men’s basketball players signed during the early signing period. Further, most had committed to their school of choice well before that time (even at the mid-major level). There are kids committing to schools as freshman and sophomores at the highest level.
We must keep in mind that committing to a school is a huge decision for a young person and should not be taken lightly. Regardless, if you’re an athlete, your school of choice can dictate many things about your future. Allowing student-athletes to sign a binding letter of intent would teach them about values, making tough decisions, and most importantly, keeping their word. I believe that once they sign, they would be “locked” to that school, thus allowing the coaching staff and prospect to better prepare and align for their arrival on campus.
 
In many cases, coaches spend MORE time and resources “protecting” a committed student-athlete than recruiting the student-athlete. Everyone would benefit if a prospect could sign a binding agreement once he had all the information he needed to make a mature decision.
 
The only issue would be if a head coach left prior to enrollment of the student-athlete. I say let the new staff have the opportunity to visit with the signed prospect one time. If, after the meeting, the recruit wants out of his NLI, then so be it.
 
Let’s teach young people about keeping their word and keep coaches from attempting to “confuse” prospects when they’re committed, but unsigned. Yes, I’m writing for men’s basketball, but football coaches should heed this advice as well!
 
V. Role Players
Only five players can start a game, but the really good teams have guys that understand their role coming off the bench. In fact, the great teams have role players that understand their jobs and embrace them – they keep the music going when entering the game.
 
It’s the coaching staff’s responsibility to put players in the right roles and it’s the players’ responsibility to accept those roles. Period.
 
As we enter the final stretch of the regular season, here are some key attributes to being a great bench / role player:

• Provide great energy to the team during warm-ups
• Totally into the game at all times, even before entering the game
• Always pay strict attention to the scouting report of each opponent
• Take the role very seriously
• Love to compete and always have an edge
• Stay in great physical condition because you play variable minutes in each game
• Have the ability to play and/or guard multiple positions, thus adding value
• Great role players don’t think in terms of what “they can’t do,” but rather “what they can do” – and they know this can change game-to-game

I know how much value players (and parents) put on starting, but it doesn’t matter. If a player can fulfill many of the attributes listed above, he can be a valuable addition to his team and hopefully effect winning.
 
VI. The SoCon Ladder
There is so much balance that it’s really difficult to slot teams 3-10. Here is the final SoCon Ladder of the 2021-22 regular season:

1. Chattanooga – Chattanooga is the class of the conference at the current time. But, even with Player of the Year candidate Malachi Smith and a very good supporting cast, they have proven they can be beat. They do finish with three of their last four at the Roundhouse and can clinch at least a share of the regular-season title and No. 1 seed in the tournament with a win against UNCG on Thursday
2. Furman – The Paladins have lost three in a row by a combined 12 points. But this group is talented and arguably the most experienced team in the league. The current starting lineup has played in 556 college games with 395 collective starts! There is no doubt they can win it all in Asheville 
3. VMI – The Keydets are one tough out, but like others in the league this year, they proved to be vulnerable in a home loss to archrival The Citadel last Saturday. That said, they can really shoot and are currently No. 1 in the SoCon in 3-point field-goal percentage and free-throw percentage. You can win games when you can shoot it 
4. Samford – The Bulldogs have won five of six and are for real! With their next four at home (where they are currently 9-2), they have a real chance to fight for third place! 
5. Mercer – The Bears got a much-needed win at UNCG this past weekend, ending a three-game skid. With Felipe Haase finding his stroke, the Bears are a threat. Greg Gary and staff continue to do a nice job pushing the right buttons 
6. Wofford – The Terriers have been up and down since mid-January. But this is a rock-solid program and have proven over time that they can win big games. They are 9-2 when Max Klesmit hits three or more 3-pointers and will need him (and others) focused as their next three are on the road 
7. UNCG – Much like Greg Gary, Mike Jones is working with a limited roster, but he has the Spartans in a logjam for the top six. A tough road trip begins at Chattanooga on Thursday and ends at Samford on Saturday 
8. ETSU – The Bucs ended a five-game losing streak by beating Furman at home on Feb. 7 but couldn’t gather steam, losing at home five days later to a red-hot Samford team. They have the talent and could be the biggest “X-factor” in Asheville 
9. The Citadel – The Bulldogs pulled off a terrific win at VMI last weekend. This continues to prove they can compete with anyone in the league. Stephen Clark doesn’t get the recognition, but does a great job playing his role 
10. Western Carolina – It’s been a tough winter at times for the Catamounts, who have not been able to string together wins. But there is still time left to right things as we head toward March, especially with three of the final four inside the Ramsey Center

Until the next “Dean’s List” on March 2, follow me on Twitter: @DeanKeener1